


Human Beings in a Mob

by revoltrad



Series: Horseback Ride [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Amputation, Blood, M/M, Medieval AU, eichi is the "bad guy", it's sort of akatsuki no yona-ish if you like that, natsumugi will get a companion fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 07:11:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12601112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revoltrad/pseuds/revoltrad
Summary: Human beings in a mob.What's a mob to a king?What's a king to a god?What's a god to a non-believer?>>leomada medieval au<<





	Human Beings in a Mob

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to hell lads
> 
> first heads up: i didnt edit this chapter yet (nov 1). i just needed to get it OUT. i'll update the notes  
> second: natsumugi is "side" pairing, but i'm working on a companion fic for them and they feature heavily, so i thought i'd tag it.  
> third: eichi is the "Bad Guy" in this fic. if you've read akatsuki no yona, you know why that's in quotes. it's a morally grey thing. i thought id put that there though, because if you're eichiP you probably won't like this fic.

The day the boy wakes up is a day Madara will never forget.

 

He's sitting at the table, reading a tome that Natsume lent to him (Madara is nothing if not eager to learn all the world has to offer). For weeks he has grown accustomed to the sound of gentle breaths, to the way long eyelashes sometimes flutter with what must be a dream, to that shaggy mane of red hair that hasn’t dulled, no matter how long the boy has been asleep.

 

And then, suddenly, there is a small, broken sound, and Madara _knows_.

 

He rushes from his chair over to the bedside (his bed – or, it had been before he’d found the other), and crouches down, fully aware of his height and overwhelming presence. It’s impossibly difficult for him to keep his excitement in check, but he manages. The last thing he wants is to make his guest afraid of him from the get-go.

 

“Can you hear me?” he whispers, like he’s approaching a wounded animal (which isn’t that far from the truth, he thinks with a slight twinge). Tsumugi would comment something well-intended but a little too blunt about how rare it is to hear Madara whisper _anything_.

 

Eyes, which had been shut up until now, crack open, and shift left in their search for the source of the noise. Though he’s seen them when Natsume and Tsumugi come over to check on his guest, Madara is startled by their brightness. Up until now, they’d been dull, and unresponsive. But vibrant green regards him for two whole seconds, and Madara’s heart squeezes at how sharp they are.

 

But those two seconds pass, and the boy lets out a strangled cry, rearing back from Madara. He doesn’t get far, though.

 

He tries to lean on his left arm, only to find it gone from the elbow down. He falls, off-balance, and lets out another frightened noise.

 

“My arm. Where is my _arm_?!”

 

 _This could be going worse_ , Madara thinks to himself, trying for optimism. _At least he's coherent._

 

“It… it’s gone.” _No shit_. The boy is panicking in earnest, and really, Madara wishes he had Sora here to help, or maybe Rei, who is endlessly calm in a contagious way.

 

The boy is hyperventilating now, and Madara is afraid to touch him. When Madara touches people, they _break_. It’s his fault the boy lost his arm, after all. He’ll never forgive himself for that.

 

Madara flicks his sleeve aside so that he can reach his forearm with his other hand. Several runes are etched into his skin there, and he locates the one he’s looking for with ease. Tsumugi, brilliant and broken with a talent for runes that Madara hasn’t seen parallel to elsewhere in all of his travels, inked the rune into his skin so that Madara could contact him, Natsume, and any other relevant parties short-notice. It’s a relief to think that soon, he won’t be alone with this.

 

Madara doesn’t trust himself not to make things worse. He’s hopeless with fragility.

 

He lowers himself so that he’s sitting on the floor, less of a threat, while the boy continues to breathe too fast to be healthy.

 

“I can’t remember, I don’t,” he gasps, shuddering. He moves his arm as if to brush the hair out of his face, only to be reminded again that it’s _not there_ , and the panic sets in all over again.

 

Madara doesn’t know what to do, but he remembers how his father used to calm him down when he was inconsolable, his mother’s training leaving him bruised for days ( _why does it have to be like this, Dad?_ ).

 

He starts singing, softly, a tune from his childhood about a bird with a broken wing. Madara’s voice is smooth and low, and soft in a way that he could never hope to be. His grandmother used to ask him to sing to her when she’d had a hard day, and he relished the smiles that it brought to her face. There was no better feeling to him than to bring the ones he loved happiness.

 

The other boy stares at him, transfixed, and Madara thinks maybe he might be doing something right, for once. Of course, then the boy begins to cry, and well, in hindsight, maybe that was not the best song he could have chosen.

 

There’s a knock at the door, and Madara hops to his feet. The boy jumps – which Madara feels overwhelmingly guilty for – but he doesn’t let himself dwell on it, because he’ll just make things worse, whereas Natsume and Tsumugi, who are definitely the people knocking (please god let them be the ones knocking) are infinitely better at this than he is.

 

Madara opens the door, relief making his shoulders sag. He practically towers over Natsume and Tsumugi. Well, not so much Tsumugi as Natsume, but still. Natsume squints up at him with those smoldering golden eyes of his, while Tsumugi just smiles pleasantly beside him.

 

“What do you want this TIME?” Natsume says, his usually attitude coming through full force. “It had better be imPORTANT, we were in the middle of a poTION.”

 

Madara looks between them, and damn if he doesn’t want to make a comment on how close the two of them are standing together, the disheveled state of their clothes, but there are more important matters to be taken care of, so… he’ll tease them about their “potion” later.

 

“He’s awake,” Madara says at last, uncharacteristically nervous.

 

“Well why didn’t you say so sooNER?” Natsume shoves past him. 

 

“I contacted you as soon as he woke up!” Madara replies, indignant. Tsumugi wanders closer and takes Madara’s arm.

  
“Sit, sit, Mikejima-kun. You’re so tall, anyone would be nervous!”

 

Madara does as he is told, folding his long legs and sinking to the floor to watch. The boy is still hyperventilating, and Tsumugi walks to Natsume’s side.

 

“I’m Sakasaki NATSUME, and this is Tsumugi AOBA. We’re here to help YOU. You’re safe here, you KNOW?” His voice is about as kind as Natsume is capable of in normal conversation.  _He's trying,_ Madara notes with a private smile. _My kids are so cute!_

 

Tsumugi chimes in next.

 

“Do you remember your name?” The question is innocent, normal even, and with Tsumugi’s easy-going attitude it has the desired effect. The red-headed boy nods once, biting his lip to fight back the tears that seem to fill his eyes.

 

He visibly steels himself, clenching his shoulders tighter to his body, closing his eyes. His breathing is still unsteady, but hey, it's a start.

 

“Tsu-… Tsukinaga Leo.”

 

The room is silent, for a moment. But Madara really can’t help himself.

 

“You said… Tsukinaga? As in… the royal family, Tsukinaga?” he asks, eyes wide.

 

At that, Leo lifts his arms to cradle his head, and once again he is reminded of his loss.

 

“Out, Mikejima-SAN,” Natsume hisses, glaring. Natsume shoots Tsumugi a look, and Tsumugi turns to escort Madara out of his own front door. Madara goes without a fight.

 

_He always makes things worse, doesn’t he?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked this wip wip wip chapter, please for the love of god make me finish this. please. im @madaleo_ on twitter. i am notorious for not finishing fics so PLEASE god please make me finish it orz orz orz;;;;;


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